Feeler: "original" Mac

[someguy]

OK, I need help with something. Here's the story. :)

A friend of my mother's has a basement full of junk. When I say full, I mean don't bother trying to walk down there, it's full. Anyways, she was telling my mother about all the crap she found down there, and mentioned an old Mac she used to use way, way back when.

My mother, knowing my fascination with Apple products, asked her for more information about the Mac. To paraphrase: "It's like, the original Mac. It's so old. I've had it forever, I used to use it non-stop a long time ago." She said she only still has it because it has some level of sentimental value. Understandable.

This is where I come in.

This lady has garage sales constantly (weather permitting) and is almost certain to end up selling the machine because she wants her basement clear and doesn't use this thing anymore. I am thinking if she sells it cheap enough, I can pick it up and resell it for a small profit to another Apple junkie, perhaps on this board.

So my question is, how much are these "original Mac's" worth? I realize that is a vague question because I do not yet know what model it is, but assuming it's one of the first 5 or 6 models (Apple II? I don't really know what the first models were...) how much are those machines worth?

Thanks! :)

[mkrishnan]

The Apple II is not a Mac. Check this site out:

http://apple-history.com/?page=gallery&model=128k&performa=off&sort=date&order=ASC

You can tell the first and second gens apart because the first gen is much darker colored. Also the Mac plus says "Macintosh Plus" on it. :D

There aren't very many for sale, but it seems like a 128k in good working condition with accessories goes for around $200?

[someguy]

The Apple II is not a Mac.
Of course not, what was I thinking? :o

What if the computer she has is an Apple II, just for kicks?

There aren't very many for sale, but it seems like a 128k in good working condition with accessories goes for around $200?
Are there any other models that might be worth more than that? Of course there are always crazy obsessive collectors that pay outrageous amounts for things, but I figured in general the value of these machines would be more.

[mkrishnan]

Are there any other models that might be worth more than that? Of course there are always crazy obsessive collectors that pay outrageous amounts for things, but I figured in general the value of these machines would be more.

I'm not such a great vintage person...but see this thread:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=272133

There definitely are more valuable ones. Particularly if it has color, e.g. Color Classic and Color Classic II. I guess, because those are seen as less unusable.... :)

[kalisphoenix]

Well, if it's the very first Apple computer, I'll cheerfully trade a MacBook for it ;) Then I'll let you visit me and see the $10K Mac Pro rig I buy after selling my Apple I ;)

But if it's a Mac 128K, a lot of this depends on case condition. Most of the ones you see are yellow and shabby from chillin' with smokers/in basements/et cetera. The condition of the monitor's going to make some amount of difference too. And let's not forget that people tend to like floppy drives that work, and machines that boot up and can run a day or more without dying.

It could be completely worthless, or a couple hundred bucks. Just remember that even if it's yellowed or the drives are screwed, no booting classic Mac should ever be tossed in the garbage. You could invest a couple bucks in new drives, or a case that some enterprising soul was using as a Macquarium, and end up with a sweet little machine that could be sold for a fair profit. Not to mention the fun of taking one of them apart and lovingly restoring it.

Good luck :)

[someguy]

Well, if it's the very first Apple computer, I'll cheerfully trade a MacBook for it ;) Then I'll let you visit me and see the $10K Mac Pro rig I buy after selling my Apple I ;)

But if it's a Mac 128K, a lot of this depends on case condition. Most of the ones you see are yellow and shabby from chillin' with smokers/in basements/et cetera. The condition of the monitor's going to make some amount of difference too. And let's not forget that people tend to like floppy drives that work, and machines that boot up and can run a day or more without dying.

It could be completely worthless, or a couple hundred bucks. Just remember that even if it's yellowed or the drives are screwed, no booting classic Mac should ever be tossed in the garbage. You could invest a couple bucks in new drives, or a case that some enterprising soul was using as a Macquarium, and end up with a sweet little machine that could be sold for a fair profit. Not to mention the fun of taking one of them apart and lovingly restoring it.

Good luck :)
:)

I'll let you all know when I find out what model it is. Thanks!

[shu82]

I have a Lisa that is fully functional and has the 3.5" floppy drive. Does anyone know how much a system like that would go for? I bought it about 15 years ago from my dad's work.

[aquajet]

I have a Lisa that is fully functional and has the 3.5" floppy drive. Does anyone know how much a system like that would go for? I bought it about 15 years ago from my dad's work.

Usually a few hundred bucks at least. They're sought after machines.

If it had the 5.25" Twiggy drives, you'd have a true gem on your hands. They're highly coveted by collectors. You could probably buy a fully loaded Mac Pro with 30" ACD with the sale proceeds from a mint, fully functional specimen.

[ChrisA]

I hate to disappoint you but those old 68000 powered Macs are worth just abou the cost to ship UPS. I fair price would be $10 to $15. It's not like these are rare collector items. Apple made millions of them. They are not economical to ship. You need to find a local buyer.

[Sdashiki]

I hate to disappoint you but those old 68000 powered Macs are worth just abou the cost to ship UPS. I fair price would be $10 to $15. It's not like these are rare collector items. Apple made millions of them. They are not economical to ship. You need to find a local buyer.

who said anything about those, we are talking pre 68000 here.

Apple

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[risc]

who said anything about those, we are talking pre 68000 here... <snip>

I see these all the time on Ebay.com.au and they never go for more than $200 AUD. If it was an Apple 1 on the other hand....

[Sdashiki]

I see these all the time on Ebay.com.au and they never go for more than $200 AUD. If it was an Apple 1 on the other hand....

well thats not the $10-15 someone was thinking.

[stagecustom]

What about the powerbook 100 that i have? i think it needs a new adapter or i have to find it... but i was playing glider on it last year... :apple:

[CubeHacker]

who said anything about those, we are talking pre 68000 here.

Apple

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Well the thread topic does say "original mac". And the macs started with the 68000, so he's not talking about an Apple //e or gs.

[aquajet]

I hate to disappoint you but those old 68000 powered Macs are worth just abou the cost to ship UPS. I fair price would be $10 to $15. It's not like these are rare collector items. Apple made millions of them. They are not economical to ship. You need to find a local buyer.

You're obviously not up to snuff on collectibles. There are a few 68k Macs that collectors pay a lot of money for, the "original" Mac 128k being one of them.

[briantology]

A year or two ago I was at my Aunt's house and they had (what I remember to be) one of the Macintosh IIs sitting out. They wanted me to clear out the RAM because they were going to give it to some school for computer games, ha. This was before I became obsessed with the sorts of :apple:

[someguy]

Well the thread topic does say "original mac". And the macs started with the 68000, so he's not talking about an Apple //e or gs.
Point taken, but I suppose the thread title should have the word Mac in quotations too seeing as how that's what this lady described her computer as. I can't say anything for her knowledge about computers - it could actually be a Mac, or it could very well be an older (read: more vintage ;) ) machine.